Illicit drugs: 2 Cardiff, UK-based Nigerians bag 20 years jail term

A gang of six drug dealers who were supplying heroin and crack cocaine between Cardiff, London and Norwich have been handed jail sentences totalling over 42 years following a proactive investigation by the Met’s Trident and Area Crime Command, with support from colleagues from South Wales Police and Norfolk Constabulary.

The Trident investigation was launched in March 2016 as officers became aware of a drugs supply network they believed was operating out of London to supply drugs in and around the Norwich area.

Officers uncovered that two brothers – Kenechi and Oluchi Ochereobia – were running a network of drugs couriers out of their respective bases in Cardiff and Hackney in east London. Kenechi was controlling the operation through a central mobile phone number, which he and his brother used to contact hundreds of numbers via text when they had supplies of drugs available.

The brothers would receive orders back, and then instruct others to supply the users in Norwich. Their couriers would then collect the money in exchange for the drugs in Norwich.

Detective Sergeant Paul Harris, from the Met’s Trident and Area Crime Command, said: “This was a complex investigation spanning from Cardiff to Norwich via London. Kenechi Ochereobia tried to hide his involvement in the large-scale supply of drugs in Norwich by pretending to be a legitimate clothes distributor, whilst in reality he was getting younger gang members to run drugs across the country. I would like to thank South Wales Police and Norfolk Constabulary for their support on this operation.”

Enquiries revealed that Kenechi was hiring vehicles and was travelling between Cardiff, London and Norwich in the hire cars to facilitate the dealing and oversee operations.

Kenechi was stopped in a hire car and arrested in Norwich in connection with an unrelated matter on 10 June 2016, along with Frankie Dos Santos. Officers also searched a nearby address in Verbana Road the pair had just visited and found Elliot Murawski along with £6,000 in cash hidden inside an oven at the house. Murawski was also arrested but were released from custody whilst enquiries continued.

However, Murawski was stopped and arrested again on 30 August 2016 at Birchanger Services and he was found in possession of approximately £3,000 worth of heroin and crack cocaine. Officers were able to demonstrate that Murawski was a key part of the distribution network and was regularly in contact with Kenechi.

Further enquiries led officers to identify Calvyn Green as being linked to the network and he was arrested on 6 September 2016 at Ipswich Railway Station on a London-bound train from Norwich. He was found in possession of almost £2,500 in cash, as well as mobile phones that had been used to communicate with both Kenechi and those he was supplying the drugs to.

Two weeks later, officers stopped and arrested Jaivon Prince at Liverpool Street Station. Prince initially denied having any drugs in his possession, but after officers searched his home address and found wraps of heroin and crack cocaine with a street value of around £20,000; he admitted to having two packets of drugs concealed within his body. Prince was taken to hospital, where hundreds of wraps of heroin and cocaine were recovered, totalling around £2,000.

On 13 October 2016 three simultaneous search warrants were executed at the addresses of Kenechi and Oluchi Ochereobia and Dos Santos in Cardiff and London, and the three were all arrested. Officers found around £23,000 in cash hidden in Kenechi’s Cardiff home. Officers found several pictures that showed Kenechi posing with large amounts of cash – proceeds of his drug dealing.

Kenechi tried to make out that he was running a legitimate clothes distribution business, but was unable to provide any tangible evidence of this business that would account for the amount of cash that was both seized and seen in pictures Kenechi posed in.

The six men were all subsequently charged with two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs – namely heroin and crack cocaine.

Murawski and Prince both pleaded guilty to the conspiracy on 17 November 2016 and Friday, 17 March respectively. The other four were all found guilty on Friday, 12 May at Blackfriars Crown Court following a trial.

All six were sentenced on Friday, 26 May.

Kenechi Ochereobia, 25 (28.05.91) of Foster Drive, Panylan, Cardiff was charged on 13 October 2016 with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was found guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court on Friday, 12 May. He was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment.

Oluchi Ochereobia, 22 (07.12.94) of Mandeville Street, Hackney was charged on 19 December 2016 with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was found guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court on Friday, 12 May. He was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment.

Elliot Murawski, 26 (07.06.90) of Riverside Road, Norwich, was charged on 2 September 2016 with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs (in relation to his arrest on 30 August 2016) to which he pleaded guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court and was previously sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.

Murawski was subsequently charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs on 7 November 2016 and pleaded guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court on 17 November 2016. He was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment.

Frankie Dos Santos was charged on Monday, 16 January with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was found guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court on Friday, 12 May. He was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment.

Calvyn Senna Green, 25 (29.01.92) of Keyworth Close, Hackney was charged on 10 November 2016 with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was found guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court on Friday, 12 May. He was sentenced to five years and six months’ imprisonment.

Jaivon Prince, 20 (13.12.96) of Daubney Road, Hackney, was charged on 21 September 2016 with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs to which he pleaded guilty. He was subsequently charged on 24 October 2016 with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs to which he also pleaded guilty on Friday, 17 March. He was sentenced to six years and four months’ imprisonment.

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